Floor-tightener



(No Model.)

W. P. KING. FLOOR TIGHTENER.

No. 426,025. Patented Apr. 22, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM P. KING, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

FLOOR-TIGHTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,025, dated April 22, 1890.

Application filed May 28, 1889. Serial No. 312,390. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM P. KING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Floor-Tighteners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my floortightener, representing the same as in practical use in tightening a floor. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same, and represents it as astride a joist. Fig. 3 represents the legs in crosssection, taken at line so at of Fig. 2, and also exhibits part of a joist and a section of the lever; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the thrusting-jaw with a portion of its connecting-arm.

The object of this invention is to furnish for the use of builders an implement of simple construction and convenient use in laying floors in buildings; and its leading features consist of an angularly-formed clamp to act against a joist, and self-adjusting thrustingjaw of peculiar construction to act upon a flooring-board, as herein more fully described.

In the drawings, A A denote a part of a floor formed of boards with tongues and grooves, and B denotes the flooring-joists.

The clamp is formed of two diverging legs D E, attached securely to the opposite sides of handle F. The leg D is formed with an inclined working-face, and in crosssection represents an acute angle, and leg E may be of rectangular form in cross-section. The lever G is hinged by a bolt to the outside of leg E near its lower end, and has a suitable mortise made through it, in which the rear end of the thrusting-arm I is hinged, so as to work freely therein. The front end of arm I may be made with a slot, into which the rear edge of the thrusting-jaw II is inserted and pivoted by screw S to allow lateral motion to the jaw. The front edge of jaw II is formed with a longitudinal groove to fitupon the tongue of a flooring-board, and is provided with projecting lips J, to rest upon the surface of the board and to serve as guides to direct the groove in the jaw to receive the tongue on the edge of a flooring-board as the jaw is thrust forward to tighten the joint of the floor.

In using 111 y improved implement the workman will grasp the handlesFand Gand place the legs D E astride a joist, as represented in the drawings, when the jaw II will be placed in position, so that its front edge is in c011- tact with a board that is being laid in the floor. when the workman will with his right hand force the lever Gforward, carrying with it the jaw II, which, being pivoted, will adjust itself to the edge of the board, and the action of lever G will force the groove of the board over and upon the tongue of the board previously laid and tighten the joint between them. The clamp of the legs upon the joist caused by the angular shape of leg D and-the lateral pressure against the leg E will force the acute angular corner of leg D to impinge and bite against the joist and prevent the implement from slipping rearward during the operation of tightening the floor-joints.

Having described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent The floor-tightening implement comprising the combination set forth, of the handle having two diverging legs attached thereto, one of which legs is formed with an acute angular corner, the lever hinged to the other of such legs, the thrusting-arm hinged to such lever, and the thrusting-j aw pivoted to such WILLIAM P. KING. Vitnesses:

D. M. STIFFLER, M. (J. GALER. 

